Confessions of a WWII Camp Warden
by AngloManxphilic
Summary: It's the penultimate year of WWII and old friends reunite in saddening circumstances. [Rated T for swearing]


[Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers or anything affiliated with Hidekaz Himaruya. I do however own the Isle of Man OC, Gillian Kirkland. Caution, there is swearing. The terms saukerl and saumensch are used endearingly.]

22nd November 1944  
Internment Camp  
Douglas, Isle of Man

It was raining. Typical. What would one expect from an island so close to the rain-soaked Britain? The armoured truck carefully drove down the wet road towards the Internment Camp. Seated at the back of the truck, with Allied soldiers smirking down at them condescendingly, were some of the 5000 German soldiers that had been sailed into the Isle of Man earlier that day. The soldiers were silent, facial muscles taut as they clenched their jaws together to refrain from speaking against their enemy.

The atmosphere was tense and nothing else could be heard but the rumble of the truck's engine, the pitter patter of raindrops against the truck and the road and the occasional wheezing cough from one of the now prisoners-of-war. A bright light shone upon the truck, almost blinding the men seated at the back and the barbed chicken wire gates opened up to let the prisoners into their new home until the war was over.

The warden for this internment camp was Gillian Kirkland, personified representation of the Isle of Man. It was her duty to take care of these prisoners as best and worst she could to ensure no riots broke out. The young woman stood outside of her office with two soldiers standing on either side of her person for security purposes. Her emerald gaze focused and slightly hardened on the armoured truck as it pulled into a stop just before her office.

"These are the recently-captured prisoners that will be under my duty of care during this war, yes?" Gillian asked as she watched the guards pull out the prisoners one by one before having them stand in line in front of her. The soldier to her right grunted and nodded to her in response. Deeming that answer satisfactory, the Manxwoman looked each prisoner from head to toe. Her face paled and she gulped as she noticed one of the prisoners happened to be none other than her childhood friend, and representative of the German state of Prussia, Gilbert Beilschmidt; who at the time was half-conscious.

"Guards, prepare a bunk in my office, the albino stays with me and the other prisoners can be escorted to their own cabins" Gillian ordered, her emotional barriers broken but not making the slightest of impressions on her militaristic façade. Thus, the guards quickly got to work on their orders. The prisoners were escorted to their cabins in small groups and Gilbert was laid down in the bunk in the woman's office.

An hour later, the Prussian male groaned quietly as he woke from his painful sleep. All he could remember before getting knocked out was being ambushed by a group of Allied soldiers. The Manxwoman had resorted to doing her paperwork in the meantime and didn't appear to be enjoying it at all. So she turned to look at the prisoner that was her best friend. He looked more slender and more tired but she could hardly blame him. War robbed everyone, soldiers and civilians, of peaceful sleep.

A knock on the office door broke the woman out of her trance and she turned away from the albino male. "Come in but keep it down, he's still sleeping" Gillian said as she ran her fingers through her hair almost as if to mess it up to make it look like she had been stressing over her work. The door opened and in to the office stepped in one of the guards, his hat in hand and looking slightly nervous; he saluted with a shaky hand.

"Ma'am, the others and I have been wondering, what are you going to be doing with him? Are you personally going to torture him to get information out of him?" the guard asked, rubbing the end of his cap anxiously as he tried not to look the warden directly in the eyes; it was a camp superstition that the woman could kill with a stare, bringing the cliché 'If looks could kill' to life.

"What I do with him is none of your business. It is not your job to go around the camp gossiping about my actions. Now, excuse yourself from my office or I will demote you and whoever thinks that I am up to something" Gillian grumbled and glared at the guard who quickly saluted and ran out of the office. A soft groan and the sound of creaking bed springs made the woman turn in her seat. "War's made you grumpy, fräulein" Gilbert mumbled as he slowly sat up from the bunk.

"Hey, take it easy. You look like you got beaten up badly" the woman said quietly, her voice taking a more motherly tone rather than the gruff warden she made herself out to be. The male looked around at the office, crimson eyes wide in panic. "Vhere am I?" Gilbert exclaimed as he sat upright in his bunk. This environment wasn't completely foreign to him; he did know a Commandant's office when he saw one. "You're in one of my internment camps, Gil" Gillian said coolly, almost externally amused by the obvious panic on her friend's face. She wouldn't admit it out loud but the expressions on the Prussian's face never failed to amuse her.

"Vhy am I here?" the Prussian asked as he set his ruby-like gaze upon the woman sitting across from him. In his eyes, Gillian Kirkland had changed since they last saw each other. She seemed more serious than he had seen before. "We're currently at war and the Allies need internment camps, isn't it obvious?" the Manxwoman said as if it were almost an idiotic thing to ask.

"I know that but vhy am I in here? This doesn't look like a normal prisoner cabin, fräulein" Gilbert said with a roll of his eyes. Oh how much he adored listening to his friend acting in a condescending manner. "Your soldiers were planning a secret invasion of England via telegram and we intercepted it and the reply that came with it. Not a very bright lot, your troops" Gillian informed, brushing a stray lock of her hair from her eyes. That was met with a facepalm and a grumble of "Dummkopfs."

"That aside, you're a prisoner of war from now on" the woman sighed quietly as she half-turned to look back at her paperwork. She still had a fair bit to do and that bothered her deeply. "You gotta be fucking with me!" the male grumbled as he covered his eyes with his hands and laid back down onto his bunk. He'd never been a prisoner of war before so he didn't know what to expect when it came to being treated by other people.

"On the up side, you get to spend your wartime here with me rather than in the cramped prisoner cabin" Gillian said with a faint-smile as she turned back towards him, her eyes subconsciously studying his features. Gilbert didn't respond to that. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with his childhood friend, it was more that he wanted to spend time with his troops so that he could give out new orders. "Don't be disheartened by it, Gil" the woman bitterly laughed as she tried to liven the mood between them.

"Ja, it could be vorse. I could still be out there fighting" the male agreed with a simple nod of the head. Being the personification of a military state meant that he needed to continue fighting or else his country would go down in a flaming ball of anarchy, so to speak. "Or worse, Gilbert" the female sighed as she moved from her seat to sit herself at the foot of the Prussian's bunk. Said Prussian nodded in response and laid back down. Gillian held out her hand towards Gilbert who looked at her extended hand momentarily before looked up at her questioningly.

"Come on, you're not too proud to hold my hand, right?" Gillian asked, a cheeky smirk finding its way onto her face. If she had asked that question two centuries ago, Gilbert would have immediately fleed in fright. "I'm never too proud to do that" Gilbert chuckled as he mirrored her smirk and took the woman's hand in his gently. The woman squeezed his hand lightly and laid down next to him on the bunk.

Gilbert turned on his side to look at his friend and asked "So, how do you like the internment camp varden job~?"  
"It's not bad, I don't do too much except just make sure that no riots break out and do the necessary paperwork for each prisoner" Gillian answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She had been a camp warden before but that was over 20 years ago during The Great War. "It sounds like fun, katze~" the albino chuckled, his tone oozing with sarcasm.

"Saukerl, it makes you forget about what's happening in the world and that's always a nice feeling" the blonde said in a slightly wistful manner as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Ja, just a bit..." the Prussian sighed with a faint smile. What he would give to have a job like his friend's. It was simple and away from the horrors of war. She didn't have to see the piles of corpses being dumped into mass graves and she didn't have to hear the cries of agony as men were taken away from their families.

"I wonder how this war will end...if it ever does" the Manxwoman pondered as she curled to her friend slightly in fear. Gilbert fell silent for a moment. Before arriving, he had never thought about how things would turn out for either side of the war and who would really be the winner at the end of the atrocity. "I don't know, I'm not sure I even vant us to vin anymore" Gilbert sighed as he ran a hand through his silvery locks.

"I just hope it turns out alright for the both of us" Gillian mumbled as she clung to the front of his torn navy-blue uniform.  
"Ja, it has to turn out fine for me. Good things happen to bad people, right?" the male scoffed with a bitter smile. He thought his friend had lost it for hoping such a thing for him. "You're not a bad person though, Gilbert" the woman reassured with a gentle nudge to his shoulder.  
"Don't bullshit me, you know good und damn vell vhat the hell's been going on" the Prussian snarled as he grabbed the front of the Manxwoman's jacket. "It doesn't change my view of you, you're still my best friend" the Manxwoman said calmly, prying his hands away from her front as she helped him into the sitting position. "You'd be one of the few left. Gott forbid if ve lose this war...I'm going to be so fucked over" Gilbert sighed and shook his head at the panic rising inside of him.

"I'll try my best to make sure you don't end up in a bad place. If I fail at that, then I'm a bad friend" Gillian whispered as she too sat up and began rubbing her friend's shoulders reassuringly. "There's only so much you can do for me, Gilly" the albino sighed once again as he looked away from her. "I know that, Gil. I'd still try the very hardest for my only friend" the blonde muttered, lowering her gaze to the end of the bunk. Gilbert choked out a "Don't" in response to that. Gillian gently nuzzled her friend's cheek and wrapped an arm around him protectively. The two remained quiet for the rest of the night, happy to be in each other's company.

25th December 1944  
Kirkland Manor  
Ramsey, Isle of Man

One of the things that Gillian had enjoyed about being a camp warden was that she was allowed to go home at anytime she pleased. Normally, the woman would spend only a fortnight at the camp before returning home for a break. In this case, it was Christmas and she felt that she needed to go home for the day. And so she did, bringing Gilbert along with her. The prisoners weren't allowed to be let outside of the internment camp but when you're the warden, you play by your own rules.

Here they were, Christmas Day at the Kirkland Manor. Despite having invited her older brothers and sisters, it was only Gillian and Gilbert in the large house for the day. Gillian assumed that her elders did not want to celebrate Christmas together after what had happened at previous Christmas family events. Needless to say, the Prussian was glad to have a change of scenery.

A medium-sized feast had been prepared by the cooks with the rationed ingredients they could get their hands on and was placed on the abnormally large dining table. It wasn't a royal banquet but both representatives knew that this is all that could be afforded during this wartime.

"Gilly, you didn't have to do all of this" Gilbert said, crimson eyes wide with shock when he saw what was on the Christmas lunch menu. "Don't be ridiculous, Gil. It's Christmas and what better way to celebrate it than with good food?" Gillian retorted as she began to eat the lunch. "Nein, it's not just the food. It's bringing me all the vay out to your home, I vould have been happy to stay at the camp" the Prussian argued as he too ate at the heart-warming food.  
The Manxwoman fell silent at that. She hadn't even asked him if he wanted to come along with her to the manor. All she did was tell him that they were heading home and usher him into her car. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way. I'll have someone take you back if you don't want to be here" the blonde mumbled as she looked down at her reflection in her bronze-plated goblet of wine.

Then it was the albino's turn to fall silent at what the other had said. He hadn't considered that she would have spent Christmas alone in a large house. That her family didn't want to come and spend time with her because of past issues. "Nein, that vas unawesome of me to say. I'm glad that you brought me here, I don't know vhat I vould have eaten today" Gilbert said defensively as he raised his luxury drink for the day, beer.

"If you think the food's great, just you wait until you open your gift~!" Gillian exclaimed as she held out a simple cardboard box to her friend. Wrapping paper was in a slight shortage and she didn't want to use newspapers in case she needed them again for personal reference in the future. "Oh, you didn't have to but dankeschön, Gilly" Gilbert chuckled lightly as he took the box from her hands and opened it. Inside of the box was a hand-knitted scarf with the design of the Prussian flag.

The male paused at the content of the box and wrapped the scarf around his neck tightly in gratitude. He didn't know what to say. The gift was well-made despite not being overly thought about. All that mattered was that he was happy to get a gift for Christmas and he had his best friend to thank for that.

After the meal was consumed and presents were exchanged among the servants, Gilbert and Gillian found themselves lying in the snow outside of the manor and looking up at the stars that had made their way past the light snow clouds. The male was lying crossways, his head resting on the female's abdomen in a sort of childlike manner.

"Isn't the weather just lovely for the evening, Gilbert?" Gillian asked, her slender fingers gently playing with the silvery locks of her best friend. She wouldn't admit it out loud but she was fond of the snow. She felt that it reconnected everyone with their family in many different ways. Gilbert nodded slowly and shifted his gaze upwards to focus on the blonde Manxwoman.

The saying goes that the eyes are the windows to the soul and the Prussian believed it. He saw the war-weariness in the dark circles under sparkling emerald eyes that held the beauty of youth and hope. He saw the holes in her heart from the pain she had suffered from being hurt by ones close to her. And last, but certainly not least, of all, he saw the love that she had for the people she cared for the most. It was glowing bright like a lighthouse beacon on a dark and stormy night. Gilbert wouldn't admit it out loud but he admired the strength of her heart and soul.

"I vish this var had never started" Gilbert sighed, ruining the warm atmosphere with negative talk that he had strayed from for little over a month. "That's a wish on everyone's mind" Gillian retorted, her fingers pausing in their position at the mention of what was going on outside of their moment. "There is one good thing. I guess if you could call it that" the Prussian hinted, his voice taking a slightly more optimistic tone. The Manxwoman looked at him curiously as if it were a silent order to carry on with the thought.

"Vell, vin or lose, the var is going to be over. If it vill end all this bullshit then I'm all for it" Gilbert finished as he reached up to hold his friend's hand lightly. Gilbert's war-weariness was evident in his everyday speech. "But what happens afterwards will determine our fates. What if...one of us go?" Gillian asked as she squeezed his hand tenderly. Such a thing wasn't thought about often by Gillian but she feared the consequences of this new war. "Vhat do you mean by that?" Gilbert asked in reponse, his eyebrows raising visibly at such a pessimistic comment from a normally optimistic woman.

"Your Kingdom fell in the last war, what happens if the winners decide to dissolve you completely?" Gillian said, her voice sounding on the verge of cracking. Gilbert paused and thought about this new perspective on the Axis Powers possibly losing. "Gilly, that's crazy talk. They...they vouldn't dissolve me...vould they? I mean, I haven't done anything to varrant something that drastic, right?" the Prussian questioned, his tone quivering slightly. Everyone knew what happened to empires or nations or states that got dissolved; they died.

"I hope not, I don't want to lose you" the Manxwoman whispered as she shifted about so she would be the one resting on his abdomen. "There's no vay. J-Ja, that's not going to happen" the albino laughed, almost in disbelief at the prospect of him dying and he wrapped his arms around the female's frame. He was too awesome to die at such a young age; compared to Japan and China that is.

"I'm going to lose you to that Russian prick..." Gillian mumbled as she looked up at him unknowingly. She didn't have anything against the Russian but she knew it was the worse-case scenario for Gilbert. "Ivan~? Tch, over my dead body! I'm not letting that bastard claim me! I'd rather be stuck vith that dummkopf Amerika" Gilbert exclaimed with a slight smirk that graced his pale lips. The two personifications laughed at that for a while before looking up at the sky wistfully.

"You know what I like about this place? Is that I can see the stars so clearly here unlike in Berlin" the Prussian sighed happily as the Manxwoman curled up closer to him.

9th May 1945  
Internment Camp  
Douglas, Isle of Man

It was official. Germany had surrendered thus ending the Second World War in Europe. All countries were celebrating the end of what was a bloody seven-year war. The treaty had been signed in Moscow, Allied troops were swarming through bustling German towns and the long clean up and restoration had begun.

Meanwhile in an internment camp on an island in the United Kingdom region, a woman was crying quietly. The surrender of Germany and victory of the Allies meant only one thing, the possible loss of her best friend.

Some of the now-previous prisoners-of-war had decided to make a life of their own on the Isle of Man while many others had decided they wanted to face their consequences back in the Fatherland. Gilbert was standing slightly proud in his stitched-up uniform, a ghost of a shark-like grin on his face. He seemed oblivious to the internal trauma that his best friend was suffering...or so it would appear.

"Hey, vhy do you look so sad? You should be happy that your side von" Gilbert asked gently lifting Gillian's chin so she would look him in the eye. He had never seen such a heart-breaking pain in her eyes before. "Gott forbid if ve lose, I'm gonna be so fucked over" Gillian quoted from the Prussian's first arrival into the internment camp. The Prussian's eyes widened as the news of the surrender of his home country completely sunk in.

"Gilly, I just vant you to know that these past few months here have been the best throughout this whole ordeal" the Prussian reassured, running his fingers through the blonde locks of his best friend. His last day on this little island was not to be spent being disheartened by his best friend's sadness.

"I'll drive us to the main port so you can get home" the Manxwoman resolved as she squeezed his hand gently and walked out of the camp gates towards her car.

The drive to the main port, needless to say, was tense and silent. Neither Gilbert nor Gillian had the guts to strike up a conversation for fear of breaking down emotionally. It was only when the gangplank was lowered from the ship that they decided to break the intense silence that had grown between them.

"I'm really going to miss having my best friend around here" Gillian sighed as she lightly polished the Iron Cross that was wrapped around the male's neck. "How about a kiss for good luck, saumensch?" Gilbert suggested, leaning in closer to the female in an almost teasing manner. It took him by surprise that their lips met and gently caressed each other.

Gilbert had always imagined the Manxwoman's kiss to taste sweet, like raspberries with the hint of Earl Grey tea lingering on her lips. Gilbert had always imagined the blonde's kiss to be soft, like a butterfly wing gently beating against his lips, and he'd wrap his arms around her so she wouldn't fly away from him. Last of all, Gilbert had always imagined Gillian's kiss to be warm, as full of fire as the girl was, so wonderfully alive. But he had never expected the desperation of her grip on the front of his uniform, the hot liquid running down her cheeks like a waterfall and he never expected that their kiss would be in such a sad situation.  
Despite the catcalls and wolf-whistles coming from the chapped lips of his former troops, Gilbert couldn't help but let go of the woman that had been treating him like a king for the past several months. Gillian lowered her head and blindly wiped at her watery eyes at the gesture. She knew it needed to be done, she couldn't hold onto him forever, no matter what she did. A gentle kiss was placed to her forehead and a navy-clothed albino was the last to climb up the gangplank onto the deck of the ship.

Gillian looked up to see the boat about to pull away from the port and sail back to England where the soldiers would go their separate ways. "Ich liebe dich, Gilbert Beilschmidt, you saukerl!" the woman called out, her voice amongst many ringing out clearly to the Prussian male who smiled down at her. "I love you too, Gillian Kirkland, you saumensch!" Gilbert called back to her, his crimson eyes shining with fear and relief that he was finally going home.

The two eventually turned their backs to each other, savouring the other's last words as if they knew this may have been the last time such tender words would be shared between them. Tears flowed from crimson and emerald eyes down pale cheeks. Slightly stiffened hands would gently cover these eyes as they made their way home.

25th February 1947  
The Kammergericht Building  
American-Occupied Schöneburg  
Berlin, Germany

Gilbert Beilschmidt found himself pacing back and forth of the hallway outside of the main hearing room as he awaited the verdict from the three countries that had declared victory over the Axis Powers; England, the United States and Russia. He knew France was in there too, listening and probably agreeing to everything that was being said despite not participating in this tripartite. He was terrified, naturally. They were possibly plotting to dissolve his state and send him off to be occupied by another country. The albino male rested his elbows on the coffee table in front of him with a sigh.

The door to the hearing room opened and Gillian Kirkland landed on the floor with a thud and a mutter of "Pricks." The Prussian looked over at where the noise had come from and his eyes widened when he saw who it was. "G-Gilly? Are you okay?" Gilbert asked quietly, failing to hide his anxiety in his normally loud voice. "I feel fine after being thrown out of a room like a rag doll. No, I'm not okay" Gillian answered with a slight case of sarcasm in her tone as she helped herself up off the floor and brushed the dust off her skirt.

"Vhat's wrong? Vhat are they talking about in there?" the male questioned, his crimson eyes wide in panic as he looked desperately up at his friend. "The other nations threw me out because they thought I might over-react to the plans on what to do with you' the female sighed as she sat down next to him and clasped his hand tightly. The mention of that sent a hiss of "Scheisse" from the Prussian's lips as he took Gillian's hand and rested his head down onto the table in near-defeat. Oh how it pained the Manxwoman to see her best friend in such a low moment of his life.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry" Gillian whispered as she clasped the Prussian's shoulder with her free hand and nuzzled him softly. Gilbert meanwhile was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he could be dissolved the moment the other nations stepped out of that room. "Gott, Gilly...I just vant them to hurry up...this vaiting is killing me" Gilbert sighed as he looked back up at her, his eyes sunken.

The door of the room creaked as it opened and a hand stuck out, making a motion for Gillian to come inside. The male reluctantly let go of the female's hand and carefully nudged her towards the open door. Said female gently kissed the male's forehead one last time before she entered the room with a gulp. Gilbert laid his head back down into the table as he waited for the news, his stomach churning wildly.

Several minutes passed and the nations exited the room. Gilbert noticed England's hand firmly pressed against the Manxwoman's shoulder. His crimson eyes widened and couldn't believe that his worse nightmare had become a reality. "G-Gilly..." He choked as he extended an arm towards her. "Es tut mir leid, Gilbert. Please, give me something to remember you by" Gillian said and looked up at him with tear eyes and an extended hand.

The Prussian albino stood from his seat and unclasped the Iron Cross necklace from around his neck. Trembling pale fingers placed the war medal into a warm shaky palm, enclosing the fingers of said palm around the medal. And the warmest embrace was given to a once-proudly standing Manxwoman who had succumbed to wild sobbing. Gilbert trembled as he attempted not to break down out of pride and that the other nations were watching him.  
The tallest of the tripartite, Russia placed his hand on Prussia's shoulder and began to pull him away. Said Prussian stiffened and looked at the Manxwoman with a panicked gaze. "Gilly...Oh Gott...bitte, don't tell me you let him..." Gilbert stammered as he dug his heels into the rug adorning the wooden floorboards. "Not me, they did..." Gillian mumbled as she reached out towards him, only to be pulled back roughly. Gilbert let the woman go slowly and allowed himself to be pulled to the Russian's side.

"NO! GIL, FIGHT BACK!" Gillian screamed as she struggled to fight against her older brother's hold and grab at her best friend with trembling hands. Gilbert shook his head at her, tears rolling down his face as he tried to maintain his composure. "G-Gilly...it's okay...I'll be fine" he reassured her with a shaky smile. It pained him to see his best friend in such a wild fit of fury and immense sadness but he knew that he had to remain calm.

"I'll wait for you..." Gillian resolved as she retracted her arms and somewhat relaxed under the Englishman's grip; said Englishman puffed up slightly at his sister's surrender. "It'll be okay...just don't...forget me, alright saumensch?" the Prussian said with a nod as he was led further and further away. "I'll never forget you, saukerl!" the Manxwoman called out to him as she wrapped the precious war medal around her own neck.

The Prussian whimpered slightly as he was led out the door and saw his best friend beating at her brother's chest for being so cruel. He turned away from the scene, fearing that he might break down into sobs if he continued to watch her and quietly followed the Russian out into the bitter cold.

All the while, the American and Frenchman watched a nation dissolve and a friendship broken without a single tear being shed between either of them. It wasn't that they didn't care. To them, it was all a part of life's cruel game.

| ~ The End ~ |


End file.
